E.T.A. Hoffmann(1776-1822)
- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
E.T.A. Hoffmann was born on the 24th of January 1776 in Königsberg (now
Russia) as the son of a lawyer. After his father's death he has a very
bad childhood ending when he went to university to study law between
1792-95. He managed to get into the bureaucratic services of the state
Prussia, but was not considered too well. Stations in Bamberg, Poland
and elsewhere followed until he succeeded in getting good jobs in
Berlin, lastly as a judge after 1814. Hoffmann died on the 25the of
June 1822. Hoffmanns interests were widespread. He wrote music, painted
pictures and, of course, wrote excellent examples of German literature.
His scurrile style of writing, together with a critical tone in many of
his works, earned him not too much renommee during lifetime. Today his
music and paintings are nearly forgotten, but his writings stand as
fantastic examples of German late "Romantik", for example the "Kater
Murr" or the "Sandmann". Often connected to the dark side of the soul
or the human being, Hoffmann wrote "normal" literature too, but his
fame is basicly grounded on the "dark" literature.
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